According to data from French farm office FranceAgriMer, French farmers made little progress in harvesting soft wheat last week, with just 4% of the soft wheat area harvested by Monday. This compares to 1% a week earlier and 26% at the same time a year ago, with the five-year average being 19%.
The state of the rain-hit crop also declined, with 57% of French soft wheat rated as in good or excellent condition by July 8, down from 58% a week earlier and 80% a year ago. This rating remained the lowest for the time of year since 2020, when French wheat crops were also affected by heavy rain.
FranceAgriMer officials attributed the slow harvest and declining crop ratings to persistent rain and limited sunshine, which have prevented fields from drying out after months of excess moisture. Benoit Pietrement, a farmer and head of FranceAgriMer’s grain committee, stated, “The harvest is struggling to get going. We’d really like the sun to return.”
France’s agriculture ministry has forecasted a 15% drop in production of soft wheat, the country’s main cereal crop. Market estimates of the harvest are much lower, and FranceAgriMer warned of downward revisions to come as it gave initial projections of reduced French wheat exports and stocks in 2024/25.
The report also noted that for winter barley, the first major cereal to be harvested, 61% of the crop area had been cut by Monday, down from 90% a year ago and a five-year average of 71%.
The slow harvest and declining crop ratings in France, a major wheat producer, raise concerns about the overall supply and price of wheat in the global market.